This invention relates to a tap for the delivery of water or other liquids, and in particular to a tap that can be converted from automatic to manual operation.
Automatic taps provided with a sensor are known in the art and are particularly useful in sanitary services. The sensor consists of an emitter or receiver of infrared or visible rays, or any other device for surveying a space for the presence of bodies, such as a person's hands placed in a wash basin on which the tap is mounted. When the hands are placed into the wash basin near the water outlet, the tap operates by means of an electronic circuit and an electronic valve without manual intervention or an opening handle. The operation of automatic taps of this type are subject to interruption in the event of an electronic or electromechanical break-down or a black-out of electric current. This results in considerable inconvenience to the user.
It is an object of this invention to provide a tap that is automatically operable and which can be easily converted to manual operation in the event of damage to the tap or electrical black-out.